Papuan leaders oppose any military operations<\/p>\n
Nethy Dharma Somba, The Jakarta Post, Jayapura, Papua<\/p>\n
Papuan religious leaders have expressed regret over the deaths of
\ntwo soldiers and an alleged separatist rebel during the theft of
\nweapons from a military base in Wamena last Friday, but called on
\nthe central government not to use it as a reason to launch
\nanother military operation in the province.<\/p>\n
The leaders, in a joint statement released Thursday, said
\nprevious military operations had resulted in the deaths of
\nthousands of unarmed civilians.<\/p>\n
The statement was signed by Jayapura Bishop Mgr. Leo Laba
\nLadjar OFM Cap, Papuan Protestant Church Synod (GPDP) chairman
\nRev. Andreas Ayomi, Indonesian Protestant Church Synod Secretary
\nGeneral Rev. Berotabui, Indonesian Ulemas Council (MUI) local
\nchapter chairman Zubaer Hussein and Indonesian Hindhu Darma
\nAssociation (PHDI) local chapter chairman I Nyoman Sudha.<\/p>\n
The Indonesian Military has deployed 144 soldiers from the
\nArmy's feared Special Forces (Kopassus) and Strategic Reserve
\nCommand (Kostrad) to Wamena to help the local military in the
\nhunt for the rebels, who the Army claim stole 29 rifles and
\nthousands of rounds of ammunition. Nineteen of the stolen rifles
\nhave been recovered, including six weapons found at the Wamena
\nmilitary district headquarters, the very place where the rifles
\nwere stolen.<\/p>\n
The military suspects the involvement of Army soldiers from
\nthe local military in the burglary. An investigation is ongoing.<\/p>\n
Jayapura Archbishop Mgr. Leo Laba Ladjar, who spoke on behalf
\nof the religious leaders during a press conference on Thursday,
\nsaid the military operation to find the rebels should not target
\ncivilians, as had happened in the past.<\/p>\n
\"The soldiers should be professional in conducting the
\noperation to avoid unrest and prejudice among the people,\" he
\nsaid, saying the gunfight during the botched burglary had damaged
\nchances for peace that all sides were trying to build in the
\nprovince.<\/p>\n
He said the soldiers should not be suspicious of locals or
\naccuse them of collaborating with the thieves as they did after
\nrebel attacks on military offices in Wasior and Abepura in 2001.<\/p>\n
\"We express our deep concern that such military operations
\nclaimed civilian lives in the past,\" the bishop said.<\/p>\n
Leo said the burglary should not be used as an excuse for the
\ngovernment to launch a major military operation as it has in the
\npast.<\/p>\n
Thousands of civilians were killed when former president
\nSoeharto's New Order regime launched a military operation in the
\nprovince to quell the Free Papua Movement (OPM) during the 1980s
\nand 1990s.<\/p>\n
Rampant human rights abuses during the New Order era have made
\nthe Papuan issue more complicated.<\/p>\n
The People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) granted the province
\nspecial autonomy in 2001.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/papuan-leaders-oppose-any-military-operations-1447893297",
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